The Lupine Path
by Ruthless
Summary: Harry leaves the Durslys and before reterning to Hogwarts discovers something that changes his life.HarryDM .R&R please On Hold.
1. Chapter 1: Flight

**The Lupine Path**

**Prologue**

Harry felt his heart lift slightly as his only friend at 4 Privet Drive; Hedwig soared in through the open window. To his great relief she looked to be carrying the food parcels he had written away for three days ago.

Over the past two weeks Vernon had constantly been beating and starving the young wizard. Harry felt ashamed even admitting he had asked for the slightest bit of help as he felt he should be able to stand up to Vernon him self.

Feeling disgusted with him self Harry surveyed his latest scars. The worst was a deep slash running from his shoulder, diagonally across his chest.

The front door slammed open, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. Moving as rapidly as his weakened state would allow, Harry relieved Hedwig of her parcel and made sure she left instantly. The only reason Vernon hadn't done away with her was because he didn't want any of Harry's freakish friends showing up unannounced and seeing the state he was in.

The door to Harry's room (if one would call the stained white walls and single mattress a room) flung open and Harry's uncle stormed open looking more furious then he had in days. Before the teenager had a chance to scramble back Vernon's ham sized fist slammed into Harry's nose, "This is all your fault, boy," he snarled, shoving his face up close to Harry's.

"What's all my fault," Harry asked, trying to keep his cool without wrinkling his nose. Vernon's breath stunk of alcohol.

If possible Vernon's huge face went even redder, "Don't play dumb with me boy. You know very well you made my company go bankrupt."

Harry locked his cat-green eyes into Vernon's light blue and said, without the faintest tremor, "Your crazy. I haven't been allowed to leave the house since I got here."

"If you don't like the way I run this family you can get out of my house."

"Gladly", said Harry coldly, "you take my things out and I'd love to leave."

Vernon twisted the boy's arm behind his back and marched him downstairs with the same amount of sympathy he would have shown a stray flea-infested cat.

When Vernon reached the cupboard under the stairs he had to struggle to get his sausage-like fingers around the key and get it in to the lock. Once he succeeded he unceremoniously shoved Harry's trunk into his chest, and pushed him out the door. As he slammed it he called, "And don't you ever darken my doorstep again boy."


	2. Chapter 2: Discoveries

**Chapter Two: Discoveries**

A man crumpled a letter in his fist and sent the owl that had delivered on its way. The irony of the whole current situation was almost enough to make him laugh and that showed just how bad things must be.

A part of him wanted to forget this whole situation, but if he did his wife would never let him live it down. She seemed to love seeing him at a dilemma.

He sighed and looked up at his wife who had been reading the letter over his shoulder, "Might as well go cheek it out," he said, planting a kiss on her lips.

Harry dragged his trunk as close to the roadside as he was willing to risk, before he drew his wand and raised it high. With an impossibly loud bang, a violently purple bus appeared, seemingly from nowhere and Stan Shunpike jumped out, launching instantly into his usual speech.

Harry raised his hand, cutting him off, "Save it for someone that isn't in a hurry."

"Then get on board," Stan said, grabbing Harry's trunk and lifting it onto the bus.

"Where you heading?" Stan asked, before a stream of curses let fly from his mouth. Stan had dropped Harry's trunk on his foot.

Harry dragged it over to one of the beds and began fishing around in it, "How much to Diagon Alley?"

"Depends on how fast you wanna get there. It's five galleons for first place."

Harry fished around in his moneybag and after a few moments, came up with five huge gold coins, which he dropped into Stan's hand and in about three minutes Harry was getting off the bus, going through the dustbin entrance to Diagon Alley and booking a room at the Leaky Cauldron.

Sometime in the middle of the night a huge, Tawny Owl swept into Harry's room, scroll clutched in its talons. The owl didn't seem to be in a hurry to be on its way. Instead, it just sat on the top of the wardrobe beside Hedwig, every so often glancing at the sleeping form of Harry James Potter, as he tossed in a restless sleep.

_He was in a dark room. No, it was not a room. A cupboard. The cupboard. He could hear a deep, furious voice, strong and uncaring. He felt a flash of pain from a blow. But it should have been more than a flash. Multiple blows from a ham-sized fist didn't make only a flash._

Harry woke, throwing his hands up in defense before he realized where he was. Feeling a little embarrassed, and glad no one was there to see him, Harry flung his legs out from under the covers.

A rustling, scratching sound made Harry glance towards the top of the wardrobe. At first he thought he was seeing things. A Tawny Owl that was larger than a Great Horned Owl couldn't possibly exist. He blinked, but the owl maintained its insistence of its existence. And that was further confirmed when it flew down and came to rest, none-to-gently upon Harry's shoulder.

"Whom do you belong to?" Harry muttered, stroking the huge birds head. Its only reply was to extend its leg and allow Harry to remove the scroll that it was gripping in its talons. Harry unrolled it and sat down on the bed. The owl perched beside him.

The handwriting was gracefully curved and linked together, and it was also oddly familiar. Four words in Harry found out why it was so familiar.

_Harry, my dear son, I am writing this in case I do not get the chance to tell you later. Probably, when it arrives we will laugh about it as a family, but if Voldemort does find us then I want you to know that both James and I loved you more than the world around us._

_No one else knows what I am going to tell you, not even Sirius. With all the confusion caused by the war, it is hard to tell whom we can trust. James is not your father, Harry. I will not disclose who it is in writing as even a charmed letter can be intercepted. There is another version of this, charmed to find him, so the both of you will know at around the same time._

_Please understand Harry, that this does not make me love you any less. If anything, we cared about you even more, as James could not be a father._

_If anything happens on your sixteenth birthday, and your father has not made contact then go immediately to a friend of ours, a man named Reamus Lupin._

_Take care of yourself,_

_Lilly and James Potter._

Harry threw back his head and screamed. It couldn't be true, this had to be an elaborate prank, probably devised by someone like Malfoy, just to wind him up and break him down. Tears streamed down the boys face, and he spun, driving his fist into a pillow. The owl started and took flight landing on a chair.

Slowly, methodically Harry began to tear the letter in half. Then he tore that half in half. After a few moments of doing this there wasn't a single word left. Feeling like he'd run a marathon, Harry collapsed on his back on the bed.

The owl flew back to Harry's side and rested one of its talons upon his arm, like a person in an attempt at comfort. And as Harry watched the owl became a man.

With his face twisted into a mask of shock and hatred Harry sat up, "You. It can't be you." He snarled.

A.N I was originally going to use Snape but then I decided it was two _cliché._ I wanted something that (hopefully) hadn't been done before. Therefore, I chose this person. Once the initial shock wares off, they will be good for each other. This person is also the reason I had Harry come out of an abusive household. It will make it easier to form a bond between himself and his father. Can anyone guess who the father is? There's the prize of a super-sized cookie for anyone that gets it right.


	3. Chapter 3: Name Of The Father

**Chapter Three: Name Of The Father**

* * *

Harry narrowed his eyes as the man lowered himself to a seated position beside Harry. He was very grateful that looks couldn't kill. He had known he wouldn't be very well received, but this was boarding on ridiculous. The last time he'd seen furry on such a magnitude was when Severus had confronted his father.

"And why can't it be me, Harry?" he asked, reaching a hand up to rest on the boy's shoulder. Harry shrugged it off and moved over to the couch, determined to put as much distance as possible between himself and his _father._

"Because you…you're evil. I don't even look anything like you."

"I'm afraid it is," the man that was Rudolphus Lestrange grinned. "Better me than…Ah," he broke off, leaping backwards and to the side as Harry did his absolute best to pound the older man to a pulp. The he flicked his wand, freezing Harry in his tracks.

"Umm, sorry about that. Couldn't have you killing me, though," Rudolphus didn't look the least bit sorry. He stretched and slowly circled Harry, studying him, "You look so much like my damn second cousin."

Harry's eyes nervously tracked the man, who paused, looking into them, "Got you mothers eyes, though. They're the reason I agreed to help her. One look in those eyes and no-one could refuse her anything."

Rudolphus raised his wand again and in spite of the spell Harry flinched. All that the older man did, however, was wince as he saw the fear in the boy eyes, and recall the way he'd woken up. Then two and two came together.

"What in the four hells' those damned Muggles done?" he snarled, releasing the spell.

Harry didn't answer. He didn't trust himself to answer. Even though Vernon wasn't here, had banned him from returning, Harry knew he had a way of finding things out. If Vernon ever found out he'd told anyone, even a convicted criminal, he knew there'd be hell to pay.

Rudolphus sighed as the boy shook his head, vigorously, "You either tell me the easy way, of your own free will, or I get it out of you the hard way. That is where your choice lies, not in whether or not you are going to tell me."

"Please don't make me," it was only a whisper, but in had more impact than anything else would have.

"Well, in that case, we have another matter to deal with," Rudolphus said, mentally promising himself a visit to the boy's relatives. If he couldn't safely get anything out of Harry, he would go to the next best source.

"And that would be?"

"My grand-father, was bitten by a werewolf and the gene passed, active, to my father. It was dormant in me but can be dormant for as many as five generations and show up, active, in the sixth. It depends mainly on whether it can bond with the person's temperament. It could well be active in you and we won't know until your sixteenth birthday. The moment a born 'wolf turns sixteen their eyes become amber."

Harry went a shade of white that would have looked impressive on a Goth, and sat down quickly, "I could be a …a werewolf? Does anyone else know this?"

Rudolphus sat back down as well, and rested his fingertips on his temples, "Sorry. Probably not the best way to break the news, but I haven't had any prior experience. Bella is the only other person that knows any of this. Just you, me and her."

A pair of emerald green eyes narrowed again and Rudolphus found himself very grateful that this time he wasn't on the receiving end of the glare. Looks like that could surly cause heart failure.

"She murdered the one person that cared about me," Harry's words were clipped and his voice was cold.

"Actually, she didn't," Rudolphus said, gently. "The spell was red, not green, and I heard her say it. A particularly powerful stunner, aimed at taking him out of the fight without injuring him. It isn't her fault the damn id…that he moved and fell through that damn veil. And anyways, Bellatrix isn't the type of woman to break a promise."

"What promise would this be?" Harry asked. He wasn't sure whether he should believe the older man, but for some reason he wanted to. It would be nice to be able to trust someone again.

"When they were younger, Bella and Sirius swore that if they ever came face to face with each other in battle they wouldn't kill one another. I can honestly tell you that the thought that it was her spell that finished Sirius off was torture for her. She isn't in any way, the cold-hearted mask she presents to the world. Not once you get to know her."

"If," Harry corrected, "And a huge part of that is 'do I trust you?' I'm not going to blow you off, but nor am I going to say yes. I'll wait and see."

"Thank you for the chance," Rudolphus said.

Then there was a knock on the door and the handle began to turn. Rudolphus glanced at it, before turning back into the owl. Spreading his wings her left through the window and landed on a nearby rooftop.

An old, pitted face surrounded by a main of straggly, gray hair looked around the door, "Apologies, Mr Potter. Jus' that' I thought I heard a couple of people talking 'bout Bellatrix, and the like' and so I thought I'd come a check up on you, see. Got to keep an eye on the safety of the guests, you know?" then he drew back and pushed the door shut.

Harry walked back over to the window and looked out. Rudolphus was gone. Feeling both disappointed and relieved, Harry shut the window. No way was anyone else getting in here without his permission.


End file.
